Soundside Serial killers: Why has the Pacific Northwest had so many?
Jun 23, 2025
28:57
A new book examines the theory that lead and arsenic poisoning may have affected the brain development of serial killers like Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway.
Childhood exposure to these poisons might provide a partial explanation for these horrific crimes.
The book is “Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers.”
It’s part memoir; part examination of anthropology, criminology, and also the ecological history of the Pacific Northwest.
Guest
Caroline Fraser, author of “Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers.” She grew up on Mercer Island and won the Pulitzer Prize for her biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder in 2018.
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